Hi All
The DEAS network team have been thinking about suitable DEAS related responses to the disruption caused by Covid -19, and in particular bidding for available research funding released by UKRI in this call - (https://www.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/ukri-open-call-for-research-and-innovation-ideas-to-address-covid-19/).

In brief projects can be up to 18 months, with no closing date, and a very rapid decision turnaround. Proposals are invited for short-term projects addressing and mitigating the health, social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and having demonstrable impact in the project length.

It may not be possible initially for a DEAS project to have immediate personal health impact, nor to be able to turn an entire business into an advanced service operation in a short time scale. But there is clearly relevance for advanced services in the other categories within the UKRI announcement (i.e. social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts) but also in manufacturing, transport and mobility in terms of such things PPE availability and socially distanced travel managed in real time (where outcome is safe travel and not catching anything). And as the disruption and reaction to it stretches from the short term to the medium and long term, then clearly advanced services and an outcome-based logic become more relevant. Again, to refer to the UKRI call refers to research that “supports the manufacture and/or wide scale adoption of an intervention with significant potential” – which clearly includes advanced service related and outcome based projects and ideas.

Apologies if you are already on this (which I expect you are), but there may be elements of earlier bids that could be reimagined for this UKRI call. The team are currently looking into ways in which we could run some workshops / hackathons to identify ways in which the network could bring their particular skills to bear on the pandemic and solutions to it. If you decide to bid to the UKRI call, then good luck.

Phil Godsiff
DEAS Network+ co-ordinator

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